All cells of a living body such as heart muscle, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and nerve cell have electricity. Since such electricity can be changed by external stimulus or cell injury, the condition of a cell can be estimated by measuring the change. There are a number of electrical changes in the cell, ranging from a simple change which can be measured based on current variation through a single channel of a cell membrane to a combination of electrical behaviors of a number of cells. Such an electrical change inevitably accompanies a change of ions inside a cell such as Na+, K+ and CL− and a change in chemical elements such as amino acids, catecholamine and Peptide.
As well-known in the art, some diagnostic techniques such as electrocardiogram, magneto-cardiograph and magneto-encephalography are common methods to measure biopotential of a heart or brain of a living body in order to diagnose any disease of the living body. Accordingly, a number of approaches have been made to solve relevant clinical problems by understanding electrical and chemical stimulations of biological actions.
As an example, there have been approaches to diagnose a disease by measuring an electric resistance of an abnormal region (in particular, an inflamed region) of patients having various diseases (“CHANGE IN ELECTRIC RESISTANCE OF THE SKIN OCCURRING IN THE RIGHT BELLY AT AN OUTBREAK OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS”, B. M. Vorochilov, Published by Eu-Hak (Medical Science), 1978, pp 46 to 49 and “NUMERICAL EXPRESSION OF PAIN CAUSED BY RICULITIS OF THE SPINAL CORD, WHICH IS OBTAINED BY MEASURING ELECTRIC RESISTANCE OF THE SKIN”, B. M. Vorochilov, Published by Eu-Hak (Medical Science), 1982, pp 42 to 44). As another example, there has been an approach to measure the dielectric coefficient of cancer cells in view of the electric characteristics thereof (“DIELECTRIC COEFFICIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF TUMOR TISSUE”, YU Don-Sik et al, published by Journal of Korea Electro-magnetic Engineering Society, 2002, Vol. 13, No. 16, pp 566 to 571.
In addition, there has been an approach to measure an abnormality in the body by using a magnetic field distribution around the body (LEE Yong-Ho et al., Korean Journal of Brain Science and Technology, 2002, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp 79 to 90). In particular, after the development of a highly sensitive magnetic flux meter using a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID), it has been possible to measure a faint magnetic flux in the body. Accordingly, various studies are being actively carried out many countries to diagnose diseases by measuring a faint magnetic flux created from the viscera of the human body using the magnetic flux meter (“BIOMAGNETIC FIELD DETECTION,” Kotani Makoto, Published by Corona Company, 1995).
That is, various attempts have been made continuously to diagnose diseases based on the fact that a different electric phenomenon between healthy and sick persons causes a different magnetic field distribution. For example, in order for a stomach to digest foods, stomach muscles should move while repeating contraction and relaxation. Such movements are controlled by electric signals flowing through the stomach muscles, transmitted through nerve cells. If such electric signals are abnormal, the stomach muscles may have a problem in their movement, which potentially causes an indigestion. The abnormal electric signals flowing through the stomach muscles show a different aspect from normal electric signals, thereby creating a different magnetic field distribution.
This symptom is true for not only indigestion but also other diseases such as cancer, disease by immunodeficiency and heart disease. It is possible to diagnose a disease from a subject by examining a change in an electro-magnetic field around a specific viscera or an electro-magnetic field pattern of a patient distinguished from that of normal persons. These schemes basically examine any changes in electro-magnetic signals in the human body or biological electro-magnetic signals.
However, such biological electro-magnetic signals or their changes are extreme precision the immensely subtle, minute signals to be used efficiently.
The epidermis of an animal refers to a type of epithelium that makes up the skin surface. The epidermis is mainly composed of a corneous substance, and conventionally has been regarded as mainly acting to protect the animal from external stimulation (Textbook Committee of Korean Dermatological Association, “DERMATOLOGY” (Revised version 4), pp 1-5, 2001).
When human epidermis is examined with respect to physiological characteristics or observed with an electron microscope and the like, a epidermis is of a matrix structure, including stratum nucleare composed of living cells and anucleate stratum corneum composed of dead horny substances without nucleii. Under the influence of electro-magnetic spectrum, a dielectric crystal changes optical properties and refractive constant, in which a change in polarization constant is proportional to an electro-magnetic field. Owing to the above-mentioned structure, the epidermis has a property of crystalline dielectric material.
The epidermis contains pigments such as melanin, which is created by melanin-creating cells melanoblast existing in an underlying layer of the epidermis and then converted into surrounding keratinocytes to represent skin color. Like the epidermis, the melanoblast originates from the neural crest differentiated from the ectoderm, and performs an important function of creating melanin to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays. The melanoblast having dendrites is morphologically similar with nerve cells, and commonly has a number of acceptors for growth factors and signal molecules. Thus it is appreciated that the melanoblast has the same morphological origin as the nerve cells (PARK Gyeon-Chan, “Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Korea,” Vol. 25, No. 2, p 45 to 57, 1999). In addition, the above-mentioned observations are also supported by the fact that the epidermis differentiated from ectoderm has the same genetic origin as nerve cells such as brain, spinal cord and nerve.
According to studies on epidermis properties with respect to electro-magnetic signal creation and conduction, it was found that the epidermis not only protects the living body from external stimulation but also acts an independent function as a separate biological system in an organism (“ELECTRICITY AND MAN”, V. E. Manoilov, 1988, pp 184 to 185). In particular, it is also found that the epidermis shows various reactions such as reflection, absorption and dispersion to electro-magnetic waves incident into the epidermis.
Based on the above-mentioned facts, the inventors have analyzed physical, electrical, optical and photophysical properties of the epidermis and sought for available measures to utilize the epidermis. Through the studies, the inventors have found that the epidermis changes its electrical characteristics when an external electro-magnetic signal is applied thereto, functioning as a material detective to biological electro-magnetic signals. By using these symptoms, the invention has devised a material detective to biological electro-magnetic signals of the present invention.